When in ...

A trip to Venice is not complete without a visit to Alberto Valese's shop. Alberto makes beautiful marbled papers and books. All by hand.

When in Rome. Though I've not been there, yet. But you know. That sort of thing. Was just reminiscing about the highlights of trips past and thought I'd put together a broad list of things missed (as in looking forward to seeing or doing, again.) And, therefore, things not to be missed. Anywho, check back periodically. I'll try to keep this little collection of lists up to date as I discover new things one must endeavor to experience when in where ever. I've even included some Stateside favorites.

When in Amsterdam

• Day trip by train to Haarlem
• Day trip by bus to Keukenhof Gardens

When in Barcelona

• Get lost in the Barri Gotic
• Eat lots of hot chocolate (too thick to drink)
• Day trip by train to the beach town of Sitges
• Day trip by train to the town of Girona on the Riu Onyar
• Food to go from Farga
  
• Picnic at Parc Guell
• Watch the sunset from the roof of Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera, same thing)
• Watch whatever's playing at the Coliseum Cinema

When in Berkeley

• Go gourmet with your glace, Ici
• Go cocoa-loco at Bittersweet, The Chocolate Cafe
• Enjoy an order of the best crispy chicken tacos on the planet at Cactus Taqueria
  

When in Budapest

• Enjoy the Fisherman's Bastion and surrounding Buda Castle Hill sites at sunrise, before the shops open and the bus loads of tourists arrive to alter the ambiance
• Have a piece of paradise at Ruszwurm while you're up on Castle Hill in Buda
  
• Return at sunset for the view of Pest
• Lounge for hours in the baths at Gellert
• Day or night, gawk at the grandeur of Heroes Square
  
• Sit for a bit in the Great Synagogue on Dohany Street
• Ogle the door at St. Stephen's Basilica
• Wander around and ogle the architecture

When in Dubrovnik

• Explore the old town at sunrise (it will be all yours) and again at sunset (when you'll have to share)
• Day trip by bus to Cavtat
• Day trip by bus to Korcula
• Day trip by bus to The Bay of Kotor and the town of Kotor in Montenegro
• Eat lots of dried figs
• Eat lots of pastries from Niko
  

When in Liguria, on the Italian Riviera

• Day trip by train to Camogli
• Day trip by train to each of the Cinque Terre
• Day trip by train to Santa Margherita
• Day trip by train to Sestri Levante
• Day trip by train and bus to Portofino
• Day trip by train and bus to Portovenere
• Far a whole lot of niente

When in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu

• Rent a car and get as far away from Honolulu-Waikiki as possible
• Hope for a slice (or two) of homemade Okinawan (which is to say, purple) sweet potato pie with fresh haupia from The Food Company in Kailua
• Lounge on Lanikai Beach
• Eat a pineapple burger at Kua'Aina Sandwich in Haleiwa
• Enjoy the big sand, sun, and fun of Waimea Bay
• Head for the hills and escape everything at the Mu-ryang-sa Korean temple

When in Montreal

• While away the hours at Olive + Gourmando (351 Rue Saint-Paul Ouest)
• Dessert from Cocoa Locale (4807 Avenue du Parc)
• Or from Les Glaceurs (453 Rue Saint-Sulpice)
• Book-browsing (or buying, if you're up for a supreme splurge) at Librissime (62 Rue Saint-Paul Ouest)
• Pick a church or two to sample in addition to a requisite visit to the Basilique Notre-Dame. Lots of lovely churches, if I do say so myself. And I've not a(n organized) religious bone in my body.

When in Paris

• Wander around with your spiral bound copy of Michelin Paris Par Arrondissements and a keen sense of curiosity and adventure
• Skip the Louvre (or go on a Wednesday or Friday night after 6PM when it stays open until 10PM, the crowds have thinned, and it costs less, to boot) and go straight for a hot chocolate with Chantilly at Angelina's
• Walk it off in the Tuileries
• Catch a sunrise at La Tour Eiffel (tout seul) and then, later, share a sunset with the hordes
• Repeat with Sacre Coeur
• And again with the Place des Vosges
  
• Have plenty of pastries from Paul
• Macaroons and tarts from Laduree
• Lots of L'As du Fallafel (34 Rue des Rossiers, Paris, 75004)
• Beaucoup de glace from Berthillon
• Hot and sweet mint tea at the Grande Mosquée de Paris and a meal fit for a sultan, inside
  
• And of course, shop til you drop
  

When in San Francisco

• Pretend you're in Paris and get yourself over to la pâtisserie Miette, and/or one of Bay Bread's little Paris-parfaît Boulangeries
  

When in Sorrento

• Eat lots of gelato from Primavera (on the Corso Italia) or Davide
• Drink in the sunset with a glass of something special at Hotel Bellevue Syrene
• Day trip by train to Ercolano (Herculaneum)
• Day trip by ferry to the island of Procida
• Day trip by ferry to the island of Capri
• Indulge in the moist chocolate magnificence of a torta caprese and a warm, handmade waffle cone with icy fresh gelato from Raffaele Buonacore (Via Vittorio Emanuele 35, Capri)
  
• Visit the Blue Grotto
• Visit the Villa San Michele
  
• Day trip by train to Naples (and keep a close eye and a firm grip on your valuables)
• Visit the cloister of Santa Chiara in Naples
• Day trip by bus or boat to Positano
• Day trip by bus or boat to Amalfi
• Visit the crypt of the Basilica Sant' Andrea and lounge on the steps
  
• Day trip by bus to Ravello
• Visit the Villa Cimbrone

When in Venice

• Item number one, get lost
• Ponder the leaning tower of San Pietro di Castello
• Ponder the leaning tower of San Giorgio dei Greci and the golden interior of its church
  
• Sunrise in St. Mark's Square and sunset there too, at Caffe Florian or elsewhere on the Piazza San Marco
• Sunset with a picnic on the steps of the church at San Giorgio Maggiore
• Sit for a bit and contemplate the largest oil painting in the world in the Doge's Palace
• Savor several flavors from Gelateria Nico
• Ginger gelato and other unique mouth-watering choices from Alaska
• Keep your eyes peeled at all times for shops carrying uniquely delicious genius of glass designer Barbara Proverbio
  
• Drinks and dinner at Centrale
  
• Paper/goods from Alberto Valese
  
• Paper/goods from Paolo Olbi
• Acqua tint etchings from Cadore
• Chocolates to die for from Vizio Virtù
• View from the campanile of San Giorgio Maggiore
• View from the campanile of San Marco
• Day trip by train to Padua (Padova)
• Day trip by train to Vicenza
• Day trip by train to Verona
• Day trip by train to Bassano del Grappa
• Day trip by train to Bologna
• Day trip by water bus to the island of Burano
  
• Day trip by train to Treviso

When in Vienna

• Spend endless hours, rain or shine, at the bistro-cafe Le Bol (Neuer Markt 14)

Questions? Ask away! Please use the comments feature to ask questions rather than contacting Marisa directly. That way everyone can learn a thing or two, too.

Amsterdam notes from a broad

In the spring of 2002 I ventured to Amsterdam to visit a good friend working on her Master's degree abroad. Having heard so much about Amsterdam (mostly the red light district and the easy access to ganja) I thought I knew what to expect and expected not to care for it much. While I did find a lot of non-surprises, there was plenty new and unexpected to discover. I particularly enjoyed the cafés and the shopping, day tripping to Haarlem and Keukenhof Gardens. And then there was the outdoor party with oh, say 500,000 folks, despite the rain.

The Queen Mother of all Parties
On April 30th each year, the Dutch pause to party in honor of Queen Beatrix' mother, the former Queen, Juliana. Queen's Day is a spectacle, indeed. And a very orange spectacle at that. There is nothing but orange, everywhere, on Queen's Day. The current Dutch royals are from the House of Orange, thus all the citrus-colored clothing, food, drinks, fountains, etc. on this day. In addition to partying with between 500,000 to 2,000,000 people in Amsterdam (the numbers of revellers depend largely on the weather, I think), you can also enjoy open air shopping, en masse. People are allowed to sell anything and everything in the street on April 30th, without a permit. Flea market mania. It's a great day and great fun. A bit soggy the year I was there, but we still managed to have a good time. Just got a little wet in addition to wild.

Cuckoo for Keukenhof
I like flowers. Especially in a nice outdoor garden. Who doesn't? But when was the last time you were so bowled over with giddy delight at the lay of a landscape that you actually had to take time-outs to take it all in? For me, the year was 2002. End of April, early May, to be exact. And the location was Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse. A nice day trip from Amsterdam via bus. I thought I'd seen a pretty tulip or two in my day, but by golly I had no idea what a truly tantalizing tulip was until I experienced the thousands of blooming bulbs in this expansive outdoor paradise. The number of flowers is simply dizzying—nearly 7,000,000 bulbs are planted and strut their stuff annually. According to the park's planners, the ideal time to view the blooms is the last two weeks of April or the first week of May. This is the timeframe I was lucky enough to go and I can tell you firsthand that the display is well worth the price of admission and then some. Absolutely fantastic.

Yep. That's all I got on Amsterdam. Disappointing, I know.

Questions? Ask away! Please use the comments feature to ask questions rather than contacting Marisa directly. That way everyone can learn a thing or two, too.